Saturday, November 18
USAFA
1:30 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
UNLV
Game 11: Air Force vs. UNLV
11/12/2023 8:12:00 PM | Football
11.Air Force vs. UNLVUNLV FB Game 11 at Air Force2023 MWFB Weekly Release Week 12Digital Game Program
Saturday, Nov. 18, 1:30 p.m. MT, Falcon Stadium (37,655), Colorado Springs, CO (USAFA)
Game 11: Air Force vs. UNLV
Saturday, Nov. 18, 1:30 p.m. MT, Falcon Stadium (37,655), Colorado Springs, CO (USAFA)
THE GAME
• Air Force hosts UNLV on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 1:30 p.m. in Falcon Stadium. The Falcons are making their first appearance in Falcon Stadium since Oct. 14.
• Air Force and UNLV meet for the 25th time overall and 24th as conference foes. The Falcons lead the overall series, 18-6, and 18-5 mark in conference games. Air Force is 9-2 at home and 9-4 at UNLV. The Falcons have won five straight overall in the series.
• Air Force will celebrate 46 senior players and managers during a pregame ceremony on Saturday. The senior class has posted a 31-11 overall record and a 18-8 mark in Mountain West games.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• Television: CBS Sports Network
Carter Blackburn (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst)
• Radio: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, 104.3 the Fan in Denver, SIRIUS XM 390
Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Jesse Kurtz (analyst)
• Live Stats: airforce.statbroadcast.com
THE SERIES
• Air Force and UNLV meet for the 25th time overall and 24th as conference foes
• Air Force leads the overall series, 18-6, and 18-5 mark in conference games
• The Falcons are 9-2 at home and 9-4 at UNLV
• Air Force has won five straight overall
• Air Force defeated UNLV, 42-7, last season in Las Vegas
• Air Force defeated UNLV, 48-14, in 2021 in the last meeting in Falcon Stadium
• The teams first played in 1981 in Las Vegas. UNLV won the game, 24-21
LAST SEASON
(Oct. 15, 2022) Air Force defeated UNLV, 42-7, in Las Vegas to win its fifth straight in the series. The Falcons started quickly, opening the scoring on a 60-yard touchdown run by John Lee Eldridge III following a UNLV fumble. The Rebels fumbled again, and Brad Roberts cashed it in with the first of his four touchdowns to push the Falcons to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The Falcons stretched it out to 28-7 at halftime. Roberts scored his fourth touchdown of the game on the opening drive of the third quarter after carrying 11 straight times for 75 yards on the drive. He accounted for every play on the scoring drive. Emmanuel Michel added a touchdown later in the quarter to make up the final margin. Air Force finished with 420 total yards, including 406 rushing, and held the ball for 43:10. Roberts led the way with 144 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on 29 carries. Eldridge III added a career-high 116 yards and a score. The defense was dominant, holding UNLV to just 179 total yards and forcing four turnovers. Johnathan Youngblood led the way with six tackles. TD Blackmon added three tackles, a sack, 2.0 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, fumble recovery (on the same play) and a pass breakup.
LAST TIME AT FALCON STADIUM
(Nov. 26, 2022) Air Force defeated UNLV, 48-14, in Falcon Stadium to close out the regular season. The Falcons controlled the game from the onset, taking advantage of a UNLV turnovers on the opening kickoff return first possession to take a 14-0 lead. Brad Roberts rushed for two short touchdowns to provide the scoring. Air Force extended the lead to 24-0 at the half behind a Matthew Dapore 37 yard field goal and a Brandon Lewis 41 yard touchdown run. The Falcons controlled the game in the second half, holding the ball for 26:12 of the 30 minutes. Air Force finished the game with 511 total yards, all rushing, marking the first time since 2012 the team didn't attempt a pass in a game. Emmanuel Michel led the Falcons with 123 yards on 12 carries while Roberts chipped in with 98 and two scores on 16 carries. The Falcons had 13 players carry the ball and finished with a 40:49 to 19:11 advantage in time of possession. UNLV finished with 214 total yards, including 144 passing. Charles Williams led the Rebels with 137 yards rushing and two touchdowns, 72 coming on a fourth-quarter touchdown run.
SENIOR DAY
Air Force will celebrate 46 senior players and managers during a pregame ceremony on Saturday. The senior class has posted a 31-11 overall record and a 18-8 mark in Mountain West games. The class has been bowl eligible all four years and have posted a 2-0 bowl record with back-to-back wins over Power-5 programs in bowls. The class has also posted a 16-4 record in Falcon Stadium. The class won the 2022 Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.
AIR FORCE AT HOME
• Air Force is 76-24 in Falcon Stadium under head coach Troy Calhoun.
• Air Force was 6-1 last season to match the program record for wins in a season.
• Air Force had a school-record 15-game winning streak from 2014 to Oct. 22, 2016.
• Air Force went 20-4 at home from 2014-17, posting the most wins in a four-year span, breaking the record of 19 set from 1982-85 and 1998-2001 when the program went 19-4.
• Air Force set a record for the best three-year run from 2014-16 with a 17-1 record, breaking the mark of 15-2 from 1983-85.
• The Falcons have finished undefeated at home six times overall in school history, four coming under Calhoun.
Year Rec. Notes
2023 4-0 Air Force has won six straight dating back to 2022
2022 6-1 Matched program record for wins with six, fifth time with six under Calhoun
2021 4-2 Air Force .500 or better for 14th time in 15 seasons under Calhoun
2020 2-1 Loss came to No. 25 Boise State
2019 6-0 Sixth undefeated season in program history, fourth under Calhoun
2018 4-2 Air Force posts four or more wins for ninth time in 12 seasons
2017 3-3 20 wins over four years is best four-year run in school history
2016 5-1 Air Force went 17-1 in home games from 2014-16
2015 6-0 Fifth 6-0 mark in AF history, third under Calhoun
2014 6-0 Fourth 6-0 mark in AF history, second under Calhoun
2013 2-5 Lone losing record in Calhoun era
2012 5-1 Second-best mark in school history
2011 4-3 Air Force goes 14-5 from 2009-11
2010 5-1 Combined with 2009, 10 wins in two seasons is third-best in AF history
2009 5-1 Second-best mark in school history
2008 3-3 Two losses at the hands of nationally ranked teams
2007 6-0 Just the third undefeated home record in school history
Total 76-24
NATIONAL RANKINGS
• Air Force was ranked 17th in both polls earlier this season, marking the third straight week ranked, which is the longest streak since being ranked four straight weeks in 2002.
• The regular season ranking is the first since Oct. 3, 2010, when Air Force was ranked 25th in the AP poll. The ranking in both polls in the regular season is the first since Oct. 10, 2010, when the Falcons were 23rd in each poll.
• Air Force was ranked 25th in the initial College Football Playoff poll, marking the first appearance in the poll in program history.
2023 AF Week-by-Week Poll Rankings
Week AP Coaches CFP
Oct. 29 17th 17th 25th (First time in program history)
Oct. 22 19th 19th
Oct. 15 22nd 22nd
AIR FORCE START ONE OF THE BEST
Air Force opened the season 8-0 which was the best start since a school-record 10-0 start in 1985 and just the fourth time in program history to start 8-0 or better.
The Falcons opened 5-0 in Mountain West play for the first time in program history. The conference start is the second best in program history, trailing only the 6-0 start in 1985 in the WAC.
Best conference starts in Air Force history
# Year (Conf.).... Record
1. 1985 (WAC).... 6-0
2. 2023 (MW)..... 5-0
3. 1997 (WAC).... 4-0
1989 (WAC).... 4-0
AIR FORCE 39-10 LAST FOUR SEASONS
• Air Force is 39-10 the last four full seasons, excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Air Force is 8-2 this season and finished 10-3 in 2022 and 2021 and 11-2 in 2019.
• Air Force, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Utah and Oregon are the only teams to win 10-plus games the last three full seasons (2019, 2021, 2022).
• The Falcons are 23-7 in conference play during the same stretch. Air Force is 5-1 this season and was 5-3 and finished second in the Mountain Division last season. Air Force shared the Mountain Division title with a 6-2 mark in 2021 and finished second with a 7-1 mark in 2019.
LAST WEEK
Hawaii defeated Air Force, 27-13, in Honolulu. The Rainbows opened the scoring with a Brayden Schager to Pofele Ashlock five-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. Air Force answered with a Matthew Dapore 25-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. Schager added a one-yard touchdown run to make it 13-3 at the half. The Falcons opened the second half with a Dylan Carson 35-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 13-10 early in the third quarter. Schager and Ashlock connected on a 19-yard TD connection to make it 20-10 midway through the third quarter. Meki Pei added a 32-yard fumble return touchdown to make it 27-10 early in the fourth. Dapore added a second field goal to make up the final margin. Hawaii finished with 297 total yards, including 176 passing. Schager led the way, hitting 22-29 passes for 176 yards and two scores. He rushed for 57 yards and a score. Air Force finished with 315 total yards, including 201 rushing. Carson led the Falcons with 87 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Alec Mock led the defense with 10 tackles.
LAST WEEK'S GAME NOTES
Team Notes
• The Air Force 20-play, 61-yard scoring drive that took 11:49 ending with a Matthew Dapore field goal set season highs for plays and time of possession. The previous high for plays was 17 vs. Wyoming, while the previous high for time of possession was 10:20 vs. San Diego State. Air Force is the only team in the nation to have three scoring drives of 10:00 or longer this season. The other 10-plus minute scoring drives follow:
10:20 – Air Force vs San Diego State; 16 plays, 85 yds (TD)
10:13 – Air Force vs Navy; 17 plays, 75 yards (TD)
• Air Force's opening scoring drive of the third quarter marked its first touchdown in six quarters dating back to the Colorado State game. The Falcons had scored just six points in those six quarters.
• Air Force has held 16 straight opponents to 30 points or less which is the longest active streak in the nation. Penn State is second at 14, followed by Georgia (10) and Florida State, Michigan and Ohio State with nine.
• Air Force game captains were seniors Thor Paglialong (OC), PJ Ramsey (DL), Bo Richter (OLB) and Trey Taylor (DB).
Individual Notes
• Senior DB Jayden Goodwin recorded the first sack of his career, coming in the second quarter on first down.
• Sophomore FB Dylan Carson recorded career highs with 13 carries for 87 yards. He scored his first-career touchdown on a career-long 35-yard run on Air Force's opening drive of the third quarter. His previous long run was 29 yards vs. Robert Morris earlier this season. His previous highs were 11 carries for 63 yards vs. San Jose State earlier this season.
• Senior QB Jensen Jones rushed for a career-high 56 yards. He also recorded career highs in every passing category, hitting 3-of-7 for 114 yards, including a career-long 65-yard completion to Cade Harris. His previous highs came last week vs. Army when he was 1-2 passing for 11 yards.
• Junior WR Cade Harris caught a career-long 65-yard reception. His previous long was 45 yards vs. San Diego State earlier this season.
• With six solo tackles, and 10 total tackles, Alec Mock now has 105 career solo tackles and 209 total tackles for his career.
• DB Trey Williams had a career best five solo tackles and seven total tackles.
Saturday, Nov. 18, 1:30 p.m. MT, Falcon Stadium (37,655), Colorado Springs, CO (USAFA)
THE GAME
• Air Force hosts UNLV on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 1:30 p.m. in Falcon Stadium. The Falcons are making their first appearance in Falcon Stadium since Oct. 14.
• Air Force and UNLV meet for the 25th time overall and 24th as conference foes. The Falcons lead the overall series, 18-6, and 18-5 mark in conference games. Air Force is 9-2 at home and 9-4 at UNLV. The Falcons have won five straight overall in the series.
• Air Force will celebrate 46 senior players and managers during a pregame ceremony on Saturday. The senior class has posted a 31-11 overall record and a 18-8 mark in Mountain West games.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• Television: CBS Sports Network
Carter Blackburn (play-by-play), Randy Cross (analyst)
• Radio: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, 104.3 the Fan in Denver, SIRIUS XM 390
Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Jesse Kurtz (analyst)
• Live Stats: airforce.statbroadcast.com
THE SERIES
• Air Force and UNLV meet for the 25th time overall and 24th as conference foes
• Air Force leads the overall series, 18-6, and 18-5 mark in conference games
• The Falcons are 9-2 at home and 9-4 at UNLV
• Air Force has won five straight overall
• Air Force defeated UNLV, 42-7, last season in Las Vegas
• Air Force defeated UNLV, 48-14, in 2021 in the last meeting in Falcon Stadium
• The teams first played in 1981 in Las Vegas. UNLV won the game, 24-21
LAST SEASON
(Oct. 15, 2022) Air Force defeated UNLV, 42-7, in Las Vegas to win its fifth straight in the series. The Falcons started quickly, opening the scoring on a 60-yard touchdown run by John Lee Eldridge III following a UNLV fumble. The Rebels fumbled again, and Brad Roberts cashed it in with the first of his four touchdowns to push the Falcons to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The Falcons stretched it out to 28-7 at halftime. Roberts scored his fourth touchdown of the game on the opening drive of the third quarter after carrying 11 straight times for 75 yards on the drive. He accounted for every play on the scoring drive. Emmanuel Michel added a touchdown later in the quarter to make up the final margin. Air Force finished with 420 total yards, including 406 rushing, and held the ball for 43:10. Roberts led the way with 144 yards and a career-high four touchdowns on 29 carries. Eldridge III added a career-high 116 yards and a score. The defense was dominant, holding UNLV to just 179 total yards and forcing four turnovers. Johnathan Youngblood led the way with six tackles. TD Blackmon added three tackles, a sack, 2.0 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, fumble recovery (on the same play) and a pass breakup.
LAST TIME AT FALCON STADIUM
(Nov. 26, 2022) Air Force defeated UNLV, 48-14, in Falcon Stadium to close out the regular season. The Falcons controlled the game from the onset, taking advantage of a UNLV turnovers on the opening kickoff return first possession to take a 14-0 lead. Brad Roberts rushed for two short touchdowns to provide the scoring. Air Force extended the lead to 24-0 at the half behind a Matthew Dapore 37 yard field goal and a Brandon Lewis 41 yard touchdown run. The Falcons controlled the game in the second half, holding the ball for 26:12 of the 30 minutes. Air Force finished the game with 511 total yards, all rushing, marking the first time since 2012 the team didn't attempt a pass in a game. Emmanuel Michel led the Falcons with 123 yards on 12 carries while Roberts chipped in with 98 and two scores on 16 carries. The Falcons had 13 players carry the ball and finished with a 40:49 to 19:11 advantage in time of possession. UNLV finished with 214 total yards, including 144 passing. Charles Williams led the Rebels with 137 yards rushing and two touchdowns, 72 coming on a fourth-quarter touchdown run.
SENIOR DAY
Air Force will celebrate 46 senior players and managers during a pregame ceremony on Saturday. The senior class has posted a 31-11 overall record and a 18-8 mark in Mountain West games. The class has been bowl eligible all four years and have posted a 2-0 bowl record with back-to-back wins over Power-5 programs in bowls. The class has also posted a 16-4 record in Falcon Stadium. The class won the 2022 Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.
AIR FORCE AT HOME
• Air Force is 76-24 in Falcon Stadium under head coach Troy Calhoun.
• Air Force was 6-1 last season to match the program record for wins in a season.
• Air Force had a school-record 15-game winning streak from 2014 to Oct. 22, 2016.
• Air Force went 20-4 at home from 2014-17, posting the most wins in a four-year span, breaking the record of 19 set from 1982-85 and 1998-2001 when the program went 19-4.
• Air Force set a record for the best three-year run from 2014-16 with a 17-1 record, breaking the mark of 15-2 from 1983-85.
• The Falcons have finished undefeated at home six times overall in school history, four coming under Calhoun.
Year Rec. Notes
2023 4-0 Air Force has won six straight dating back to 2022
2022 6-1 Matched program record for wins with six, fifth time with six under Calhoun
2021 4-2 Air Force .500 or better for 14th time in 15 seasons under Calhoun
2020 2-1 Loss came to No. 25 Boise State
2019 6-0 Sixth undefeated season in program history, fourth under Calhoun
2018 4-2 Air Force posts four or more wins for ninth time in 12 seasons
2017 3-3 20 wins over four years is best four-year run in school history
2016 5-1 Air Force went 17-1 in home games from 2014-16
2015 6-0 Fifth 6-0 mark in AF history, third under Calhoun
2014 6-0 Fourth 6-0 mark in AF history, second under Calhoun
2013 2-5 Lone losing record in Calhoun era
2012 5-1 Second-best mark in school history
2011 4-3 Air Force goes 14-5 from 2009-11
2010 5-1 Combined with 2009, 10 wins in two seasons is third-best in AF history
2009 5-1 Second-best mark in school history
2008 3-3 Two losses at the hands of nationally ranked teams
2007 6-0 Just the third undefeated home record in school history
Total 76-24
NATIONAL RANKINGS
• Air Force was ranked 17th in both polls earlier this season, marking the third straight week ranked, which is the longest streak since being ranked four straight weeks in 2002.
• The regular season ranking is the first since Oct. 3, 2010, when Air Force was ranked 25th in the AP poll. The ranking in both polls in the regular season is the first since Oct. 10, 2010, when the Falcons were 23rd in each poll.
• Air Force was ranked 25th in the initial College Football Playoff poll, marking the first appearance in the poll in program history.
2023 AF Week-by-Week Poll Rankings
Week AP Coaches CFP
Oct. 29 17th 17th 25th (First time in program history)
Oct. 22 19th 19th
Oct. 15 22nd 22nd
AIR FORCE START ONE OF THE BEST
Air Force opened the season 8-0 which was the best start since a school-record 10-0 start in 1985 and just the fourth time in program history to start 8-0 or better.
The Falcons opened 5-0 in Mountain West play for the first time in program history. The conference start is the second best in program history, trailing only the 6-0 start in 1985 in the WAC.
Best conference starts in Air Force history
# Year (Conf.).... Record
1. 1985 (WAC).... 6-0
2. 2023 (MW)..... 5-0
3. 1997 (WAC).... 4-0
1989 (WAC).... 4-0
AIR FORCE 39-10 LAST FOUR SEASONS
• Air Force is 39-10 the last four full seasons, excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Air Force is 8-2 this season and finished 10-3 in 2022 and 2021 and 11-2 in 2019.
• Air Force, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Utah and Oregon are the only teams to win 10-plus games the last three full seasons (2019, 2021, 2022).
• The Falcons are 23-7 in conference play during the same stretch. Air Force is 5-1 this season and was 5-3 and finished second in the Mountain Division last season. Air Force shared the Mountain Division title with a 6-2 mark in 2021 and finished second with a 7-1 mark in 2019.
LAST WEEK
Hawaii defeated Air Force, 27-13, in Honolulu. The Rainbows opened the scoring with a Brayden Schager to Pofele Ashlock five-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. Air Force answered with a Matthew Dapore 25-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. Schager added a one-yard touchdown run to make it 13-3 at the half. The Falcons opened the second half with a Dylan Carson 35-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 13-10 early in the third quarter. Schager and Ashlock connected on a 19-yard TD connection to make it 20-10 midway through the third quarter. Meki Pei added a 32-yard fumble return touchdown to make it 27-10 early in the fourth. Dapore added a second field goal to make up the final margin. Hawaii finished with 297 total yards, including 176 passing. Schager led the way, hitting 22-29 passes for 176 yards and two scores. He rushed for 57 yards and a score. Air Force finished with 315 total yards, including 201 rushing. Carson led the Falcons with 87 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Alec Mock led the defense with 10 tackles.
LAST WEEK'S GAME NOTES
Team Notes
• The Air Force 20-play, 61-yard scoring drive that took 11:49 ending with a Matthew Dapore field goal set season highs for plays and time of possession. The previous high for plays was 17 vs. Wyoming, while the previous high for time of possession was 10:20 vs. San Diego State. Air Force is the only team in the nation to have three scoring drives of 10:00 or longer this season. The other 10-plus minute scoring drives follow:
10:20 – Air Force vs San Diego State; 16 plays, 85 yds (TD)
10:13 – Air Force vs Navy; 17 plays, 75 yards (TD)
• Air Force's opening scoring drive of the third quarter marked its first touchdown in six quarters dating back to the Colorado State game. The Falcons had scored just six points in those six quarters.
• Air Force has held 16 straight opponents to 30 points or less which is the longest active streak in the nation. Penn State is second at 14, followed by Georgia (10) and Florida State, Michigan and Ohio State with nine.
• Air Force game captains were seniors Thor Paglialong (OC), PJ Ramsey (DL), Bo Richter (OLB) and Trey Taylor (DB).
Individual Notes
• Senior DB Jayden Goodwin recorded the first sack of his career, coming in the second quarter on first down.
• Sophomore FB Dylan Carson recorded career highs with 13 carries for 87 yards. He scored his first-career touchdown on a career-long 35-yard run on Air Force's opening drive of the third quarter. His previous long run was 29 yards vs. Robert Morris earlier this season. His previous highs were 11 carries for 63 yards vs. San Jose State earlier this season.
• Senior QB Jensen Jones rushed for a career-high 56 yards. He also recorded career highs in every passing category, hitting 3-of-7 for 114 yards, including a career-long 65-yard completion to Cade Harris. His previous highs came last week vs. Army when he was 1-2 passing for 11 yards.
• Junior WR Cade Harris caught a career-long 65-yard reception. His previous long was 45 yards vs. San Diego State earlier this season.
• With six solo tackles, and 10 total tackles, Alec Mock now has 105 career solo tackles and 209 total tackles for his career.
• DB Trey Williams had a career best five solo tackles and seven total tackles.
Players Mentioned
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ILB
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